Passion-Based Learning in the 21st Century World – We NEED it!

Photo Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/57561701459032208/

As we mark the end of another semester, I have learned so much about being a 21st Century Educator while exploring and navigating the world of teaching. In many ways, we can see the 21st Century world as becoming one that is increasingly connected, as the nature and purpose of knowledge is changing in incredibly profound ways. Our goals as educators has always been to improve the teaching and learning that goes on in our classrooms, but something that speaks volumes is changing the  the mindset of "I AM THE TEACHER" towards more of a 21^st century vision of teaching, where there is less teacher talk and more student talk and self-discovery. Being in the 21st Century, we need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, as we learn a lot about ourselves and our students by taking risks and constructing new conversations.

I know passion-based learning may seem like a crazy thing, as some people may hear it and immediately think about learning as "out of control" – where it’s all about what students want to do and not about what they NEED to do –  but the problem with this mindset is that we have essentially “trained” the passion out of our students. I think Kindergarteners, First graders and some Second graders still have it, but after that, forget it, it’s gone! Just as Maiers (2011) suggests, at young ages you still really look at the world with wonder and bring a sense of curiosity to certain things that we just want to learn everything about – but this tends to disappear through formalized education. However, that does not mean this sense of wonder and passion is gone forever, it can still be possible for older ages too! I strongly believe that this all can be possible by incorporating Passion-based learning in the classroom!!!

Photo Taken by Nicole Schwarz

Reflecting on my own personal story, I can remember doing something similar to a passion-based learning approach in Kindergarten, where we got to pick and choose something we were enthusiastic about and share it with the class near the end of the year. I can recall having a lot of time to decide what we want to learn about, and then over a long period of feedback and preparation, we would do a "show-and-tell" presentation to the class. I remember being absolutely fascinated with plants and its growing process, so my chosen project to share was planting a seed, taking care of it – with the help of my parents, I’m sure! – writing and drawing pictures about it in a journal, and then sharing my experience and my plant with the class. These 2 pictures are of myself in Kindergarten, as it really depicts my love for nature, as I was first inspired with the growth of plants during the process of participating in watering a new tree our school planted in the school yard at the beginning of the year. Without a doubt, I knew that was something I was interested in and this passion of mine was all because my Kindergarten teacher allowed me to choose to explore something I wanted to further my learning in. I can even remember being mesmerized by one classmate who shared their love for guinea pigs, and actually brought it to class on the day it was their turn to share their learnings! Even to this day, I can still remember feeling so inspired by many of my classmates chosen projects, as it truly took on the elements of passion-based learning by letting students drive their own learning and curiosity.

Photo Taken By Nicole Schwarz 

For future teachers today, even something like implementing the Genius Hour in the classroom will not only give students more freedom to learn something of interest to them, but it also allows them to explore their passions while fostering a love for learning! As discussed in my EDUC 4P27 class, there are two ways to get a child passionate about something:

–  We must instill curiosity, and find out what each child is innately passionate about.

–  Be an instructor that exudes passion for the topic, and pass on that excitement with your students.

The great thing about Genius Hour is that it allows students 60 minutes per session to work on new ideas or master skills, while educators can help facilitate and give feedback to students along the way. It is also important to understand that all students learn differently, so the challenge then is to get students to explore their own strengths and ultimately become lifelong learners. I truly believe passion is an under-emphasized aspect of a meaningful education, because just as Skillen (2013) suggests, passion-based learning gives light to the fact that students are “more likely to learn if they are captivated, motivated and engaged with the curriculum or projects in hand” (p. 1). This passion brings curriculum to life and allows for students to view what an exciting learning environment looks like. Even in my own experiences in kindergarten, I loved school, I loved learning, and looking back now, it really can apply to real-world contexts; whether growing plants or raising pets! Here is a short video of some of the Genius Hour projects students have been inspired to explore. It really does continue to amaze me what students have the potential to create, and their willingness to explore unchartered territory in order to teach others is truly transformational!!!

 Video Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZwwj4UZkyA 

Just as discussed in class, passion-based learning is connected with constructivism, where students construct their own understandings through meaning-making and through their active roles as learners. Our goal as teachers should be to find out what our students are passionate about, as many successful stories start out as passion projects! You are not just learning ONE subject, but rather all the things you need that go into what you are passionate about. It is as simple as this: students will work hard on something that they care about. Therefore, I hope that we, as future educators, can encourage our students to find their passions, be inspired, explore new things and take risks. I’m sure you will not only be surprised about what your students are capable of, but we as teachers, can also learn from our students too, because after all, they really are masterful intellects just waiting for the opportunity to share their passions with the world!

 

Photo Retrieved from http://incomingbytes.com/living/

Therefore, I believe it is so important to incorporate more student-driven learning opportunities into the classroom, as it truly can empower students to find, learn about, and share their passions all year long, not just in one unit! Through opportunities such as passion-based learning, our students might just be able to create the next Post-it, Game System, or Gmail, and in doing so, they have the potential to change the world for the better. Thank you for spending the time to read my thoughts on passion-based learning, and I hope this inspires many to take on similar approaches in their classrooms. I want to leave you off with one last quote,

"We need to stop stealing the dreams of students and instead adopt a passion based learning approach which will not only honour passion over obedience..but nurture genius over mastery" (Godin, 2012). 

References

Godin, S. (2012). Stop stealing dreams: What is school for. Retrieved from http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/docs/stopstealingdreamsscreen.pdf

Kukkee, R.A. (2013). Photo of contribution. Retrieved from http://incomingbytes.com/living/

Skillen, P. (2013). The science of passion based learning. Powerful learning practice: Professional learning for connected educators. Retrieved from http://plpnetwork.com/2013/04/09/memorize-mesmerize/

Becoming Critically Literate in the 21st Century World

It’s one thing to read a piece of writing, but its another to ask many questions of it, such as WHAT does the author intend? WHY is it written? WHO is it for? and WHAT does it mean to me AND WHAT does it mean to other people? To me, this concept seems so important because the moment we take something in a different light, the more we see things we didn’t see before - perhaps inequalities, power struggles or injustices. Therefore, as future teaches, we need to think about things like our lived realities, our spaces and our lived experiences in order to see the underlying cracks that exist, because by doing so, we are being CRITICALLY LITERATE, which is something we not only need to teach ourselves, but our students too.

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What I love about critical literacy is that each person may interpret messages differently, or develop their own “language” per se. Take the example of reading a children’s book, where images and words on a page are not only informed by the author, but also the reader and what they bring to it. Words don’t have meaning unless WE give them meaning, and its meaning is dependent on different contexts, so that’s why I believe it’s so important to ask yourself questions like WHAT is being included or WHO is left out? A strategy I have been familiarizing myself with is problem posing, by asking students a number of questions about that text to look beyond the surface level layers. By prompting questions about the story, children will be exposed to different lenses and perspectives that can take place. We want our students to be open-minded and take action on their opinions, but in order to do so, students must be able to read between the lines – a skill that is so critical !

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As this world becomes more technologically literate, children now more than ever, need to be able to understand the virtual world that continues to grow every day. Even with recognizing things like conflicting sources of information on the Internet, it is important for children to question its trustworthiness and value. There are so many different representations and textual versions that exist to children, so they need to learn how these visual images and different kinds of media work, along with how they try to manipulate you. 

That being said, I believe it is so important to engage in these debates, because according to Allan Luke:                                                                                                                                               

“It’s about ‘reading’ the world, because when you read words, you are reading different versions of the world.”

To be critically literate, we need to mold our students to challenge common assumptions and explore multiple perspectives, because what WE see as normal may be something completely different to someone else. I have learned time and time again that seeing children as passive sponges who just absorb information is completely wrong! I can remember myself as a student, and being asked to memorize information did not teach me anything in the end. We need to move away from this “banking system” where the students are the piggy banks being stuffed with information, and instead, students should be constructing their own knowledge, as often times there is NO ONE RIGHT ANSWER. Therefore, we as teachers, need to continue to build tools for our students to engage in this ever-changing world and make meaningful contributions to it, and it starts by teaching them how to become critically literate citizens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr204wpLgkc

In the video above, it emphasizes that critical literacy involves searching for meaning and going into the world questioning everything, as these skills are essential in our rapidly developing world. So far, EDUC 4P27 has opened my eyes into understanding the importance of the 21^st century literacies, with critical literacy being one of the new literacies. If we, as teachers, can incorporate critical literacy into our daily teaching practices, students will be able to understand things like who is included or excluded and develop a sense of ability when interacting with the world. In other words, not only will students be able to understand themselves and others better, but they will ultimately be able to ‘read’ the world using a critical lens and recognize the taken-for-granted norms and potential privileges that may have. I look forward to sharing more of my learning about the 21st century literacies, so please expect more to come!!

Entering a New Era: 21st Century Literacies

            To me, the start of a new year with new classes is always an exciting time. It is like painting with a fresh new palette of colours. My name is Nicole Schwarz and I am currently a fourth year student in the Concurrent Education program at the Primary/Junior level. I am someone who thrives on helping children develop character and a desire for learning, and one day I hope to make a difference in the lives of the children I teach, as this has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember.

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            Something that I hope to grasp from my EDUC 4P27 course is a deeper understanding of the importance of curriculum and backwards design, as these are essential pieces of knowledge that I believe I will take with me into the classroom. In addition, to further my knowledge in the 21^st century literacies is another crucial aspect I hope to engage in as the course progresses. That way, it will provide me with opportunities to re-think ways to critically think about my own teaching practices in order to change my perspective into something that suits the 21^st century; ultimately promoting a better education for my students.

Now I can’t help but share this question that continue to bounce around in my head after through class this week:

Have you ever stopped to think and reflect on how rapid our world is changing?

            In lecture, even just reflecting back to when I was a student, I see noticeable differences in many aspects of our school system now vs. back then. As an aspiring teacher entering the 21^st century, I am being exposed to so many new advancements in ways students can learn. I believe that with the rise of the Internet, the ever-changing technologies, and new types of literacies and media texts that continue to grow, this has allowed for almost immediate global access to information around the world; something that once could only exist in my imagination if I were to travel back to my early elementary years as a student. Looking at the new generation of children entering the education system now, I feel like a digital dinosaur! We no longer need to necessarily read from a book because now we have new access and tools to information through virtual bases like Google. What I aim to understand as a future teacher is getting out of this mindset that literacy is just reading, writing and speaking, because it is so much more than that!

Image Retrieved from http://edcoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/children-computing_hero.jpg

            As a future teacher, I hope to gain more knowledge of the methods and skills that I can use to incorporate these 21^st century literacies into my instruction, as they are all so new to me. As Drake et al. (2014) suggests, technology has become a whole new way of thinking, like an extension of our brains. In the end, I believe we all want our students to be critically literate, because this is essential in order for them to navigate the social world and meaningfully contribute to it. Therefore, I am confident we, as future teachers, have the potential to make this happen, as there are endless possibilities in what our students can learn and achieve as a result. I look forward to sharing more of my experiences throughout the course with you!

Teaching the "Whole Child" Through Holistic Education

Schools play a vital role in promoting the intellectual and social well-being of students, but have you ever considered what learning approaches work best for students? If you try to think of the lessons you've learned in the past, I'm sure the ones you remember best involve physical, emotional and possibly spiritual aspects that completely opened up new ways of thinking.

For example, I can distinctly remember one of my Grade 7 geography lessons where my teacher incorporated music into the lesson. When learning the provinces in Canada, as a class, we created a "jingle" that would help us remember the provinces in order, from the East Coast to the West. Here is a very similar example of a teacher incorporating song in her geography lesson by getting all the students involved as a collective whole. By incorporating music into a lesson, it creates an environment that encourages, supports and nurtures the holistic development of its students. Drake et al. (2014) states that a holistic curriculum is a philosophy of education that aims to teach the whole child-- body, mind and spirit. Moreover, it integrates the physical, emotional, spiritual and cognitive/intellectual development of students. It becomes this notion that everything is interconnected, as Drake et al. (2014) believes it takes on qualities of a constructivist classroom within the context of the whole child.                                                                                                                                        

Retrieved from http://humancure.com/eastern-holistic-medicine-vs-western-medicine/

Badjanova and Ilisko (2015) believe that not only does the use of providing hands-on experience with a task enable students to directly be involved with their learning and take ownership, but it also allows them to engage their bodies. Furthermore, Badjanova and Ilisko (2015) argue that holistic teaching connects students to the earth and its processes when we allow students to interact with the environment through outdoor activities such as nature walks or field trips that venture into the global community. I believe creating a holistic curriculum is a crucial piece to the puzzle in creating a quality-education, because we as future educators, know that a one size model does NOT fit all.

Diamond (2010) discusses Whole-Brain Teaching (WBT) as an interactive, student-centered, holistic style of teaching that teaches to the whole brain, stimulating emotions and allowing students to become active and engaged learners. Students are encouraged to visualize, draw, or even use drama to develop new ideas. In addition, a teacher may present new vocabulary words by building a story or skit that uses them, as Drake et al. (2014) stresses that storytelling can be an important part of teaching. Here is a video that incorporates WBT within a Grade 1 classroom, as there is an emphasis on using the head, hands and heart; reflecting the mind, body and spirit.

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       VS.







In the above photos, just take a look and compare WBT and its holistic elements, to many traditionally styled classrooms where teachers lecture and students are expected to listen. It is apparent that holistic education connects the body and the mind, as the whole brain is engaged in learning!! I find it truly fascinating! What I love about the holistic approach is that the teacher is a learner too, and holistic teaching can be very flexible to any teacher and their preferred teaching methods. Diamond (2010) suggests that learning should be focused on a positive attitude, and skills including critical thinking and creativity, as teachers should aim for constructing a balance between theoretical knowledge and life skills. I want to share with you a video that shows the successful outcomes that can arise for students and teachers who take part in a holistic education, as students are engaged as both discoverers AND creators of knowledge.

 

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN-bjKTsLy8

As a future teacher, I aim to transform my teaching practices in order to create a rich environment that incorporates a holistic approach, thus, taking all of my students' life experiences into account. All in all, I want to encourage uniqueness and individuality in my students, and challenge other teachers alike, to expand their horizons within a more holistic context as everyone truly benefits. My question to you is, can Whole Brain Teaching and its holistic elements be used at every level of instruction?

References

Badjanova, J., & Ilisko, D. (2015). Making Sense of Holistic Approach in the Context of Primary Education Content. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 191(The Proceedings of 6th World Conference on educational Sciences), 1517-1521. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.343

Diamond, A. (2010). The Evidence Base for Improving School Outcomes by Addressing the Whole Child and by Addressing Skills and Attitudes, Not Just Content. Early Education And Development, 21(5), 780-793.

Drake, S. M., Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Free Stock Photos.biz. (2015). Illustration of music notation [Digital Image]. Retrieved November 1, 2015, from http://res.freestockphotos.biz/thumbs/16/16020-illustration-of-a-treble-clef-th.png

Success Academy. (2012, February 23). The success academy approach to teaching and curriculum [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN-bjKTsLy8

Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

In my high school physics class, it was one thing to learn and understand formulas of velocity and Newton’s Third Law of Motion, but it was another to actually apply these scientific concepts into a real life project:

Launching a Water Bottle Rocket Using Pressurized Air.

This was one of the most exciting project’s I have ever engaged in, and I can still remember it to this day. What I have now realized, is that this type of learning has a name, it's called Project-based Learning (PBL).

Drake et al. (2014) states that students in a PBL classroom do not learn content in a traditional teaching style, but rather learn while doing the project. Students should not be seen as passive learners or sponges that just absorb the knowledge teachers are explaining to them, but instead they should be given the opportunity to engage in self-discovery. Even from my own experiences, this task not only had a positive impact on me, but my attitude towards the learning changed. Physics became one of my favourite subjects, and I really looked forward to going to my class everyday to work on my project with my group!

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When I was building my rocket, I learned how to think critically and creatively when putting it together. I also had to keep in mind several concepts related to height, weight, speed and aerodynamics, as this helped me develop inquiry and problem-solving skills, which represent the 21^st century skills that make up PBL. PBL allows for student-centered learning, as Drake et al. (2014) suggests it takes on a constructivist approach by encouraging students to take on an active role in their learning. As future teachers, we should give our students numerous opportunities to explore ideas in social contexts, as you learn from eachother, and see things in a different light. This will allow for new experiences and learning to be broadened and enriched. Here is a fantastic website that explores project-based learning through hands-on design challenges reflecting real events happening around the world. Not only is this exciting for students, but it is relevant in their lives!!

In a similar sense, Catapano and Gray (2015) also believe PBL finds its roots in constructivism, reflecting the framework of child-directed, inquiry-based learning. PBL uses in-depth projects to promote children’s intellectual development by engaging their minds in observation and investigation. Catapano and Gray (2015) found that students learn better when they are in control of their own learning outcomes, as one teacher noticed students were more motivated when taking learning into their own hands as they used many different skills such as reading, writing, mathematics and interpersonal interactions without even realizing it!!

      https://www.flickr.com/photos/jesshobbs/7066834113/in/photolist-bLtnzt-                           

One student goes, “I like how we do things differently, not like regular school. We do fun projects and play games while learning at the same time.” (Catapano & Gray, 2015, p. 93)

It allows for creative and critical thinking skills, as many of these PBL projects proceed over a period of time, resulting in a product, presentation or even a performance. Tamim and Grant (2013) found that PBL brought several advantages to the learning process such as fostering intrinsic motivation, developing critical thinking abilities, presentation and communication skills, and their ability to work effectively on a team. When students were involved in a PBL project, their performance not only improved, but they worked harder and gave better quality of work. Even teachers found that their students learned more, became more informed, and got a better understanding of the topic at hand. As a result, students were able to move from novices to experts in the domain of their project (Tamim & Grant, 2013). 

Not only is PBL engaging and motivating, but it also allows students to work collaboratively and put their own spin on their solution to the problem. It’s the shift in delivery of instruction, as students not only get the knowledge, but they learn the application. In other words, the subject matter becomes relevant to their lives, as they are able to apply it to a real world situation. I see this as truly inspiring!

To all the future educators out there, here is a great article to help design a PBL classroom;

I believe that PBL is an outlet for every student to experience success and build even more on their strengths. Through PBL activities, I am strongly convinced that students are exposed to many more skills, as they are reading, writing, finding and analyzing information, composing and editing, constantly! Not only do they learn the subject content, but I imagine they are gaining some life skills along the way.

Here is a video that demonstrates what students are capable of if given the opportunity to engage in PBL. 

Project-Based Learning has really opened my eyes to new ways of teaching that can really benefit future teacher candidates like myself. Just a few thoughts, do you believe new teachers will be able to carry out this style of teaching, and do you think it is possible to implement PBL to students of all grade levels?

Ultimately, I believe if there has ever been a time to improve schools, the time is now.

References 

Catapano, S., & Gray, J. (2015). Saturday school: Implementing project-based learning in an urban school. Perspectives On Urban Education, 12(1), 88-99.

Drake, S. M., Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Explorer Elementary Student Projects (2009, December 18).  Buck Institute for Education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9JokfKBHxA

Tamim, S. s., & Grant, M. m. (2013). Definitions and uses: Case study of teachers implementing project-based learning. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 7(2), 71-101. doi:10.7771/1541-5015.1323